Rick Ross

Rick Ross, born William Leonard Roberts II, is a rapper and entrepreneur known for his luxury-focused hip-hop style, hit songs including “Hustlin'” and “Aston Martin Music” and his Maybach Music Group record label. Ross grew up in Carol City, Florida, and graduated from Miami Carol City Senior High School. He went on to attend Albany State University on a football scholarship.

Ross began his music career under the name Teflon Da Don before adopting Rick Ross in the mid-2000s. He signed with Slip-N-Slide Records and broke through with his 2006 debut album, Port of Miami, which debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200. He founded Maybach Music Group in 2009, later signing artists including Meek Mill and Wale.

Ross has released albums including Trilla (2008), Deeper Than Rap (2009), Teflon Don (2010) and God Forgives, I Don’t (2012). Throughout his career, he has received nine Grammy nominations, including a nomination for Song of the Year in 2023.

Ross was engaged to Lira Galore in 2015 before they split. He has also been romantically linked with Lastonia Leviston and Tia Kemp. Ross has five children: daughter Toie (born in 2002), son William (born in 2005), daughter Berkeley (born in 2017), son Billion (born in 2018) and daughter Bliss (born in 2020). In 2025 he began dating model Jazzma Kendrick, with whom he had an on-and-off relationship through 2026.